The present invention relates to an aircraft cockpit comprising a head-up display device.
It also relates to an aircraft comprising such a cockpit.
The present invention relates generally to the positioning of a head-up display device in a cockpit.
A head-up display device, known as an HUD device, comprises a projector and an associated screen, the projector being capable of projecting an image onto the screen (also known as a Combiner).
Said screen is placed facing a pilot along a theoretical line of sight of the pilot in order to reflect the image received towards the pilot's eye.
The projector is mainly composed of a light source and an optical assembly used to collimate the light and send an image towards the screen.
Conventionally, the projector is placed in an area of the cockpit located above the pilot, so that it is centered in the lateral direction of the cockpit with the pilot's gaze.
Thus, the projector is generally fixed to the ceiling of the cockpit so that its projection axis extends substantially in a vertical plane in which the pilot's theoretical line of sight also extends, i.e., the sight line defined as the axis passing through a theoretical eye of the pilot and through the projection center of the screen.
The screen is placed in a viewing area of the pilot in such a way that the image projected onto the screen is superimposed on the scene outside the cockpit, seen by the pilot through the screen and the glazed front of the cockpit.
Such a head-up display device is described in particular in FR 2 942 343.
However, a cockpit, particularly in an aircraft, is limited in terms of space so that the conventional positioning of a projector above the pilot's head is difficult to achieve. In particular, it is necessary to provide sufficient space above the pilot's head to prevent him from hitting himself on the projector, particularly in the event of turbulence.
This problem will worsen in future as the space available in aircraft cockpits is decreasing more and more.